The closing of the transaction, which is subject to various conditions, including the approval of BlueView's shareholders, was anticipated to occur in July.

Vigor Marine Converts Barge to OSRV
For Shell's Oil Spill Response Fleet in ArcticVigor Marine (Portland, Oregon) has completed work on Klamath, converting it from a petroleum tank barge to an oil spill response vessel (OSRV) for use in Shell Oil Co.'s (Houston, Texas) fleet in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.

Work on the barge, which is owned by Crowley Maritime Corp. (Jacksonville, Florida) and leased to Shell, began in December 2011 and was completed in late April.

Vigor Marine teams fabricated and installed a 30-foot-high section of 1-inch plate steel around the rake of the vessel to meet ice-class requirements.

Earlier in 2012, Geomatrix had selected FSI's HMS-620 seismic system for use in a commercial site investigation in the southern North Sea, after testing it against a commercially available sparker system.

Kongsberg to Implement Norman SCADA SystemsKongsberg Maritime (Kongsberg, Norway) will use the Norman SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) Protection system manufactured by Norman ASA (Lysaker, Norway) in its maritime systems. The two companies have formed an original equipment manufacturer partnership, Norman announced in June.

'Kongsberg Maritime needs the most advanced SCADA security system available to protect our customers against cyber attacks and serious malware threats, such as Stuxnet,' said Stein Arne Riis, product manager of product development at Kongsberg.

An updated version of the Helzel WERA system, WERA NorthernRadar provides simultaneous measurement of surface currents maps, ocean wave parameters and maps and wind direction. Northern Radar is supplying the high-frequency radar antenna systems, cable, filters and transmit modules. Helzel is responsible for the signal generation and processing core modules and system control software, real-time processing software, and installation support and personnel training.

ASL is charged with sales and marketing in North America, and installation and maintenance in western North America. Northern Radar will cover the east.

Bluefin Makes SeeTrack Military Software Plug-In For Mine CountermeasuresBluefin Robotics Corp. (Quincy, Massachusetts) AUVs will be compatible with SeeByte's (Edinburgh, Scotland) SeeTrack Military software by means of proving a Bluefin-specific software plug-in, Bluefin said in May.

Bluefin and SeeByte successfully delivered the software plug-in under a Naval Sea Systems Command contract for a variant of the Bluefin-9 AUV. Bluefin's Operator Tool Suite interacts with SeeTrack Military and gives users the option to plan missions and analyze payload data in either platform.

Bluefin AUV users will have features available for SeeTrack Military, such as automatic target recognition and performance analysis and training tool, which are used for mine countermeasures.

The Washington State Department of Ecology contracted Global to raise the wreck. With the assistance of two derrick barges, the General and Oakland, Global raised the vessel, sealed leaks in the hull and internal plumbing, stabilized the vessel for tow and delivered it to a drydock in Ballard, Washington, where it will be dismantled and recycled.

EdgeTech will use the ScanFish III and software in its Littoral Mine Countermeasure Sonar System.

Costa Concordia Wreck to be Floated, TowedTitan Salvage (Pompano Beach, Florida) and Micoperi (Ravenna, Italy) presented in May plans for removing the wrecked ship Costa Concordia. The salvage, which will refloat the vessel's hull, is estimated to take 12 months.

Once the ship has been stabilized, an underwater platform will be built and caissons will be fixed to the side of the ship that is above water. Two cranes fixed to the platform will pull the ship upright, helped by the weight of the water-filled caissons.

When the ship is upright, caissons will be fixed to the other side of the hull to stabilize it. The caissons on both sides will be emptied after the water inside has been purified and filled with air.

Once floating, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port. The base for the salvage operations will be off Giglio Island, near Piombino, Italy.

Drew Marine to Acquire Chemring MarineDrew Marine (Whippany, New Jersey) reached in June a definitive agreement with Chemring Group PLC (Whiteley, England) to acquire Chemring Marine for £32 million.

The business will be named Drew Marine Signal and Safety. Completion of the transaction is expected in July.

IHC Merwede Opens US FacilityIHC Merwede (Sliedrecht, Netherlands) has opened a yard facility and regional office in Broussard, Louisiana, named Hydro-Ram Inc., the company said in June.

Hydro-Ram Inc. will be the main distributor for IHC's piling markets for the oil and gas, offshore wind, construction, and coastal and civil industries. The new facilities include storage for a large rental fleet, maintenance operation and the main spare parts hub for pile installation equipment.

LCS-3 Delivered Two Months EarlyA Lockheed Martin Corp. (Bethesda, Maryland)-led industry team delivered in June the third U.S. littoral combat ship, Fort Worth (LCS-3), to the U.S. Navy two months ahead of schedule. The team includes shipbuilder Marinette Marine Corp. (Marinette, Wisconsin), Gibbs & Cox Inc. (Arlington, Virginia), and international and domestic partners.

The ship will remain at Marinette Marine Corp. until it transits the East Coast to commissioning in Galveston, Texas, in September.

SeaView Debuts Modification for Saab Seaeye ROVSeaView Systems Inc. (Dexter, Michigan) released in May its Raptor ROV service line built around a modification to the Saab Seaeye (Hampshire, England) Falcon DR ROV.

The modification is a skid that provides an additional five thrusters. Working in a master/slave configuration, the Raptor skid taps into the ROV's network and emulates the commands given, providing double the thrust without interfering with the original ROV. When integrated with a Doppler velocity log aided inertial navigation system, the modification provides dynamic positioning.

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